Stephen Wyllie, owner of Algonquin Cruises got a shock this morning when he received a call from John Pantaleo to tell him his boat, the Tom Thomson, had sunk.
Pantaleo manages private docking facilities adjacent to the Canada Summit Centre. He wondered whether significant snow load might have caused the boat to sink.
“I haven’t seen anybody maintain it in the last three weeks,” said Pantaleo, who noted that he informed the owner that the boat needs to be removed from the water and dealt with. He said the owner had no idea what had happened.
Wyllie said he does not believe snow load was the issue. “It wouldn’t have been snow load because we’re licensed for 130 passengers. I don’t know, maybe something froze inside… the water would have come in very slow. It gets dark early and it was floating yesterday and today it’s not floating. If it was snow load, you would’ve seen the boat start to flip over, over time,” said Wyllie. “We check it you know, every week. It’s plugged in with heaters, so I don’t know what went wrong.”
Wyllie is hoping to re-float the boat today. “We’re dealing with that right now,” he said.
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Signz of the timez! If not a new fine sailing vessel 4 the #muskoka waters.
Happy to hear she’s been recovered. Great asset for the community. But given the name it’s been given wasn’t nautical disaster inevitable?
Who leaves a boat in the water all winter??? Wasn’ this a disaster waiting to happen? The ice is very powerful as most of us know.
It would surprise me if shifting ice was not the culprit. With the extremely variable weather that the Town has been experiencing, potholes (especially around manholes), roof leaks, strange animal behaviour, etc. have all been proliferating. Even with heaters, the ice could have easily punctured the hull.
As of 7 pm tonight the boat is upright and floating. The Canadian Coast Gaurd is on scene overseeing the raising of the boat and the clean up of any fuel or oil spilled. Clean up crews will return tomorrow morning to finish the clean up and make sure there is no environmental damage. The cause for the sinking is still being investigated.
Stephen Hernen, Huntsville Fire Chief
Helena-I didn’t hear the orchestra playing “Nearer My God to Thee, so prolly no ice bergs…..Maybe Pipe man’s revenge?
Oh my, I was getting my hair cut at Alberto’s when I heard the news. Very sad for the owner. Wonder if we have icebergs in the river?
It could have been summer time in the middle of the lake with 30 passengers on board.
Who says nothing exciting ever happens in Huntsville.